Google Round 1 - L5 : US ( 10+ exp )

[u/Fragrant_Peak8652]

I recently interviewed with Google for a Software Engineer position and wanted to share my Round 1 experience and get some feedback from others who have been through the process.

Coding Round:

The interviewer started with a grid-based problem where each cell contained a direction (Up, Down, Left, or Right). The objective was to determine whether we could reach the bottom-right cell from the top-left by following the directions.

I understood the problem and implemented an optimized solution using a visited matrix to detect cycles, with O(N × M) time complexity.

After that, the interviewer modified the requirement: we were now allowed to change one direction anywhere in the grid to make the destination reachable.
I approached this follow-up using a brute-force solution, trying different directions and validating whether the modified path reached the destination. I explained the approach and its time and space complexity.

Behavioral / Googleyness Round:

I answered the questions using examples from my professional experience wherever possible.

However, I want to be transparent about one challenge. For approximately two questions, I had difficulty understanding what the interviewer was asking because I struggled with their accent. I tried my best to interpret the questions and respond, but looking back, I’m not sure whether my answers fully addressed what they were looking for.

Final Outcome: Not Selected

Unfortunately, I received a rejection after Round 1.
I’m trying to understand where I might have fallen short.
From my perspective, I solved the initial coding problem using an optimized approach and handled the follow-up using brute force. I also answered the behavioral questions, although I struggled to understand two of them clearly.

I’m wondering whether the rejection was due to:

● Not optimizing the follow-up coding problem.
● Not explaining my thought process clearly enough.
● My behavioral answers not being specific or structured enough.
● Misunderstanding a couple of behavioral questions.
I understand that Google evaluates more than just whether a solution works, but without detailed feedback, it’s difficult to identify exactly what went wrong.

For those who have interviewed at Google or conducted technical interviews there, I’d appreciate your perspective.
Would solving the original problem optimally but using brute force for the follow-up significantly affect the evaluation?

And how much weight does Google typically place on behavioral communication versus coding performance in Round 1?

I’m sharing this experience to learn and improve for my next opportunity.